Tilting surface ball game

ABSTRACT

A game device having a housing and a rimmed plate mounted thereon for tilting about two axes while being revolved, the tilting of the plate being controlled by one lever and the revolving of the plate being controlled by a crank whereby two persons may control the action of the rimmed plate and one or more spheres rolling thereon.

United States Patent Sprowl [54] TILTING SURFACE BALL GAME 72 Inventor: Earl n. Sprowl, 251 West Eight St.,

Salem, Ohio 44460 [22] Filed: Mar. 20, 1970 [2 1] Appl. No.: 21,280

[52] U.S.Cl. ..273/ll0,273/115 [51] Int. Cl. A63b67/00 [S8] FieldofSearch ..273/108, 109, 110, 86,142 R, 273/118 R, 119 R, 123 R, 113, 115

[56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 728,317 5/1903 Sobinski ..273/110 1,442,651 1/1923 Cory Culp Di Motta Hayashi 1 5] Feb. 22, 1972 1,569,225 1/1926 Gunderman ..273/86 C 1,661,864 3/1928 Zabel ..273/86 C FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 131,783 3/1949 Australia ..273/1 15 1,056,493 10/1953 France ..273/1 10 531,815 11/1921 France ..273/l10 296,100 l/19l7 Germany ..273/l42 R Primary Examiner-Richard C. Pinkham Assistant Examiner-Richard .1. Apley Attomey-Webster B. l-larpman [57] ABSTRACT A game device having a housing and a rimmed plate mounted thereon for tilting about two axes while being revolved, the tilting of the plate being controlled by one lever and the revolving of the plate being controlled by a crank whereby two persons may control the action of the rimmed plate and one or more spheres rolling thereon.

2 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEDFEB22 I972 3,843,952

3mm Eng-u Earl D. Sprovv/ TILTING SURFACE BALL GAME BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to game devices including a playing surface having a number of target depressions formed therein in which one or more rolling spheres such as marbles may become engaged.

2. Description of the Prior Art Prior structures of this type have incorporated playing surfaces which are movable as by being tiltable in, for example 0.8. Pat. Nos. 2,492,462, 2,390,458 and 3,384,374. Still other prior art patents show revolvable playing surfaces such as for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,195,718 and 2,668,716.

This invention combines in one game device a playing surface that is both rotatable and tiltable and provides separate controls for the tilting motion of the playing surface and the rotating action thereof so that two players may compete by jointly controlling the device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A game device includes a casing forming a supporting base with respect to a rotatable rimmed plate having target depressions therein. The rimmed plate is movably supported so that it can be tilted in all directions from horizontal and the controls for the tilting and the revolving motions are separate and spaced on the casing. One or more spheres positioned on the rimmed plate may accordingly be moved toward and away from the target depressions thereof by the actuation of the tilting and rotating controls.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the game device.

FIG. 2 is a vertical section through the game device seen in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a tilt controlling lever seen in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged detail of a portion of the rotating apparatus seen in FIGS. 1 and 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In its simplest form the game device of this invention is comprised of a horizontal base having a cylindrical housing 11 mounted thereon which housing 11 includes an apertured top portion 12. A frustoconical body member 13 is positioned over a central opening 14 in the top portion 12 and the upper end of the frustoconical body member 13 forms an annular shoulder which will rotatably and tiltably receive a rounded body 15 which is mounted on the upper end of a rod 16 and attached to the lower surface of a rimmed plate 17, the rim of which is indicated by the numeral 18.

The cylindrical housing 11 has an elongated slot 19in one side thereof through which a lever 20 is slidably positioned. An opening 21 in the lever 20 and within the cylindrical housing 11 is loosely engaged adjacent the lower end of the rod 16 so that movement of the lever 20 longitudinally and transversely will impart similar movement to the rod 16 and hence, the rimmed plate 17 secured to the upper end thereof.

The lever 20 is also provided with a longitudinally extending slot 22 inwardly from its innermost end and engaged thereby on a pin 23 mounted on the base 10, thus transverse movement of the outer opposite end of the lever 20 will result in transverse movement of the portion thereof carrying the open- LII the rimmed late 17 around and about the rounded bod l5 and rod 16 eretofore described and a revolvable shatt 25 having a toothed gear 26 on its uppermost end is arranged for engagement therewith as best seen in FIGS. 2 and 4 of the drawings.

A second gear 27 is located on the lower end of the revolvable shaft 25 and it is engaged with a third gear 28 located on I the inner end of a crankshaft 29 which, in turn, extends through the opposite side of the cylindrical housing 11 with respect to the lever 20.

An inverted L-shaped bracket 30 mounted on the base 10 and within the cylindrical housing 11 supports both the inner end of the crankshaft 29 and the lower portion of the revolvable shaft 25 holding the same in desired alignment for the satisfactory engagement of the gears 27 and 28.

By referring again to FIG. I of the drawings it will be seen that the rimmed plate has one or more target depressions 31 formed therein and one or more spheres 32 positioned freely thereon so as to be movable relative thereto by the tilting of the rimmed plate 17 as by the lever 20 heretofore described or the revolving of the same as by the crank 29.

It will thus be seen that the game device provides a novel playing surface in that the rimmed plate 17 and its targets 31 for the spheres 32 is subject to two separate and distinct sources of motion, one the tilting action occasioned by longitudinal and transverse movement of the lever 20 as hereinbefore described and two, the variable rotational speed as occasioned by actuation of the crank 29. When two players control the lever 20 and crank 29, the comparitive skills may be employed to control the motion of the spheres 32 relative to the rimmed plate 17 and hence, the targets 31.

Although but one embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

I. A game device having a playing surface consisting of a rimmed plate having at least one target depression therein and a sphere freely positioned thereon, a depending rod having a rounded member on its upper end attached to the center of the bottom of said plate, a housing having an apertured top, a frustoconical member positioned on said top in registry with said aperture in said top, said rounded member rotatably positioned on said frustoconical member with said rod extending downwardly therethrough into said housing, a lever positioned through an opening in said housing and engaging said rod, a crankshaft positioned through a second opening in said housing and a vertical shaft positioned through an opening in said top, gears on said shafts engaged with one another and a wide cross sectionally arcuate gear on the bottom of said rimmed plate, around said rounded member and rod and a secondary gear on said vertical shaft engaging said arcuate gear.

2. The game device of claim 1 and wherein the lever is horizontally disposed, a pin is positioned in said housing and said lever is slidably pivoted on said pin in spaced relation to said rod. 

1. A game device having a playing surface consisting of a rimmed plate having at least one target depression therein and a sphere freely positioned thereon, a depending rod having a rounded member on its upper end attached to the center of the bottom of said plate, a housing having an apertured top, a frustoconical member positioned on said top in registry with said aperture in said top, said rounded member rotatably positioned on said frustoconical member with said rod extending downwardly therethrough into said housing, a lever positioned through an opening in said housing and engaging said rod, a crankshaft positioned through a second opening in said housing and a vertical shaft positioned through an opening in said top, gears on said shafts engaged with one another and a wide cross sectionally arcuate gear on the bottom of said rimmed plate, around said rounded member and rod and a secondary gear on said vertical shaft engaging said arcuate gear.
 2. The game device of claim 1 and wherein the lever is horizontally disposed, a pin is positioned in said housing and said lever is slidably pivoted on said pin in spaced relation to said rod. 